


reflect on your shadows

by kiragnia



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Persona, I'll reveal their Arcana as time goes, Magician!Sungyeol, Persona AU, There's murder but they're not the killer, They have personas, They're not a boyband in here, Wild Card!Myungsoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-08-24 01:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16630091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiragnia/pseuds/kiragnia
Summary: Persona AU.In which Myungsoo is a stranded young man in an isolated town two hours from anything thanks to the storm trapping the town in after he attended his high shool friend's funeral and then suddenly there's this weird long-nosed guy who told him he's a wild card and he gotta save the town from a murderer. Wait, what?.They're not boyband members; they're strangers here (at least Myungsoo isn't acquainted with the rest at the beginning).





	1. prologue: the contract and the bridge / 계약과 교량

**Author's Note:**

> I can't get a catching title so we're stuck with this.   
> Hello, ladies and gents, I am here as the bringer of Infinite Persona AU fic. Just as a warning: the plot will thickens and this will be story-centered. So if you're here for the romance, you'll have to wait a long time. If there's even any romance, that is.  
> This will be my first attempt at writing multi-chaptered and long, story-focused fanfic. I hope I get to finish this.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myungsoo arrived at the town.

 prologue: the contract and the bridge / 계약과 교량

 

* * *

 

 

**(Monday, 4/9 20xx. Morning.)**

Kim Myungsoo didn't know what had crossed his mind when he told his manager that he wanted a break and then went away on an exhausting long trip to a town unfamiliar to him. Maybe he was tired of working. Maybe he wanted a change in scenery. Maybe he was exhausted. 

It didn't matter now, as he leant the side of his head on the window of the car, watching as blurred trees passed by. 

He glanced at the phone he kept on the dashboard, unlocking it to see a picture of a map. It was the direction to his destination: the small town of Geoul. It was a very isolated town, almost two hours from anything. If he went by a train, he would have to take another bus ride from the train station which was located in the next town.

What business did he have in the small town, you ask? 

His phone chimed off, signaling a call coming in. From his brother. He slowed his car speed and pressed the accept call button, setting it on loudspeaker. 

"Have you arrived yet? It's still rather early to come." His brother's voice greeted him, with hints of murmur across. 

"Still on my way. I think I only have to pass the bridge. How are the family?" He asked, noticing the aforementioned bridge up ahead.

"They're holding up fine. It's surprising to hear you want to come, though. She's not exactly your closest friend in high school."

"No, but I'd still like to pay respect." He said as he passed the bridge. Just after the bridge, he could see the silhouette of the town in the distance. 

"Suits you just fine. I'll see you soon." His brother ended up the call.

Myungsoo stared straightly at the town, slowly turning from mere shapes to actual buildings. All in all it wasn't a big town, but it was still bigger than a mere village. That being said, it's more of a very big village than a small town. He could see a small lake, an inn, and a shopping district as he passed them. Maybe this trip wouldn't be a waste. 

 

* * *

 

He figured he would be weird to wear black suits since he heard there were people who still held traditional value and wear whites and he had assumed this town would be the same. Since he only had black clothes, it troubled him. 

He was wrong. Almost everyone wore black, only few people, no more than eight, wore whites. He sighed in relief. 

He quickly approached the main hall–the town surprisingly had a funeral house and a hospital, despite it being a small town. After he placed his condolence money to the offertory box, he went straight to pay his respects to the deceased and her family. One of the family members kindly guided him to the dining area, where he quickly found his brother.

"Moonsoo."

"Hyung." His brother greeted upon seeing him. "I expected you to arrive later than this."

"Me too. It was a rather long trip." Myungsoo grabbed a plate and filled it with kimchi, "You'll stay for the burial in two days, right?"

"Yes." Moonsoo replied, "Are you going to wait and go back with me?"

"I'd like to, but my manager told me to go back early." He couldn't help but sigh as he chewed on his meal.

"That's a shame. But if you change your mind, you could stay with me at the inn. Though, it's rather small for both of us." 

"No, thanks." Myungsoo chided with a small smile, "Your snore will keep me awake."

Moonsoo chuckled, "You're a heavy sleeper, I bet it wouldn't bother you that much." 

"Have you prepared an oration yet?"

"I figured I should from the first time I heard the news. She was my senior in the club, after all." Moonsoo said with a wistful gaze. 

Myungsoo turned his sight around the room. For a young woman, there were lots of guests attending the funeral. "There are lots of people coming." He commented. 

"True. The inn even had room shortage. It was a miracle I could get a room. Almost everyone wanted to stay until the burial. I guess she was just that popular of a person." Moonsoo said.

The brothers scanned the room, watching as people chatted and ate the meals prepared for them. There were few people that caught Myungsoo's interest, particularly the two young men standing near the doorway, looking outside as they talked. "Moonsoo, do you know who those two are?" He asked. 

Moonsoo looked at where he pointed and shook his head, "I think they're locals? I would remember if they're from our high school."

Myungsoo didn't say anything as he kept watching both men talking with each other, until one of them, the taller one, caught his gaze and he had to avert his eyes. 

 

* * *

 

**(Evening.)**

He slept in his car for the night, because just as Moonsoo had informed him, the inn was full and he had no acquaintance in the town willing to give him a place to stay. He didn't mind, though, because he managed to park his car on the lake side and he got an amazing view of the lake and the night sky. Thankfully the lake side were barren of people so he could change his clothes to a more comfortable one. 

Moonsoo had kindly bought him dinner before they part ways that evening. He ate in silence, enjoying the noises of owls and crickets around the lake side. The town was rather quiet; although he could distantly hear voices of people not yet asleep from the town. 

After he finished eating, he leant back on his driver seat, fully taking the sight of the starry sky. Something about it made him feel strange. The moon gave him a weird feeling, as if he wanted to both stare at it and also avoid its gaze. 

He casted down his gaze, towards the lake. He gasped in awe, seeing how the lake surface completely reflecting the sky. As if it was a giant mirror. A single butterfly flew across the lake, looking as if it was shining with blue lights. 

Suddenly he felt drowsy and his eyelids fell, lulling him into blankness.

 

* * *

 

He was awoken to the sound of a microphone feedback. Gritting his teeth at the annoying sound, he found himself to be sitting on a stage of a small performance hall. The lights were dim so he couldn't see much apart from the empty seats of the hall. 

He stood up, examining the stage. Only a single spotlight shone on him, and no other lights were on. Where was he? He remembered falling asleep in his car.. 

"Have you awaken?" A deep voice called out to him. 

Warily, he turned to look for the source of the voice. He recognized faintly the voice as his own, albeit deeper and lower. 

"Fear not, as I'm here only for your contract." There were steps and suddenly, on the stage in front of him, there was a young man with a face similar to him. He even had the same clothes. However, his face remained without expression as he handed Myungsoo a clipboard with a paper on it. 

"This contract is the one that you need to sign if you want to bring out the truth." The man continued, "This contract will be your agreement to take responsibility for your actions and will give you access to power. Should you fail to sign it, this will be our last meeting and that signifies you don't stay true to who you are."

Myungsoo faintly thought of a name for this man. L, he thought to himself, that name suit the man so well. Myungsoo didn't even know where did it come from. 

Hesitantly, he reached out to the clipboard and lightly read the paper. Sure enough, it was some form of a written contract about taking responsibilities, something about power, and something about his journey. Deciding that it was maybe just a dream and nothing could happen from it, Myungsoo signed the contract.

'L' took back the clipboard, he seemed relieved and he smiled in a pleased manner. "This will be all for now. We will meet again, but not like this at least. Soon enough, the 'other you' will greet you. I hope it would be the 'other me' as well." There was a knowing tone to his voice, as if he knew something that Myungsoo didn't. "Although, I'll always be within you."

"What are you talking about?"

The spotlight turned off. Myungsoo blinked in the darkness, listening to a fading footsteps.

The next time he woke up, it was 5 am in the morning and he was freezing in his car, on the lake side.

 

* * *

 

**(Tuesday, 4/10 20xx. Morning.)**

Myungsoo managed to sneak into Moonsoo's room to take a bath and in return he treated his brother for a simple breakfast at a local restaurant before he left the town. Moonsoo sent him off as they again part ways; Moonsoo had decided to stay until the burial after all. He had been close with the deceased girl than Myungsoo. 

The sky was cloudy that morning, but Myungsoo didn't pay it any mind. There were flashes of lightning every now and then in the distance. Myungsoo shrugged it off, praying it won't start raining soon since he just washed his car the day before he left for the funeral. He focused on the road up ahead, gripping the steering wheel loosely while absentmindedly listening to the radio, playing a song very familiar to him.

The distance from the edge of the town to the bridge was quite far. Maybe around twenty minutes, but maybe it's just because his slow driving. He didn't want to leave just yet, he didn't want to go back to the suffocating studio just yet.

There was another flash of lightning, closer to the car. The trees shook as the wind passed. Myungsoo leant in closer to the steering wheel, relieved to see the bridge just few hundred meters away. At least the bridge seemed sturdy enough to withstand the strong winds.

"Though it seems like a pretty strong wind." He commented offhandly.

Another flash of lightning, and suddenly Myungsoo had to grip tightly to the wheel as he was pushed forward. Immediately he winced his eyes, teeth gritted in reflex as he processed what was happening. The world around him turned around–over and over again. 

He quickly realized that it was his car that was turned around multiple times. The storm was so strong. He felt genuine fear, trapped in the car with no way out. His ears were filled with endless ringing and loud crashing; no doubt from his car and the road, and also from the storm hitting the trees. 

Bright flash of lightning filled the sky. The air around the car felt off. A thunder was coming. He had to get out of there. But his car was still crashing, turning around, and he was still trapped. His only saving grace was the safety belt, ensuring his body didn't leave the car seat. 

With a loud noise his ears couldn't even bear, a flash of white light dominated his sight. The car halted, still upside down with stunned Myungsoo in it. Ringing filled the air as raindrops fell, taking its turn after the numerous thunders. He couldn't take it anymore. With his last thoughts being the bridge in front of his eyes falling apart into the deep river below, he succumbed into unconsciousness.

 

* * *

 

A faint music and a voice of a woman singing greeted his ears first before he opened his eyes. His body felt numb for a bit as he struggled to remember what had happened. Wincing at a sudden pain shooting through his head, finally he recognized the room he awoken to as the performance hall he saw when he met L, the mysterious being bearing his appearance. However, the stage was now properly lit instead of it being dark like earlier. 

The audience seats were blue, just as the curtains and the walls around the room. The stage itself was black, with stairs on each side. Some of the lights were on, shining only the stage and not the whole hall. 

Even then, Myungsoo noticed how he was sitting on the audience seat rather than on the stage. Instead, on the stage there was a desk on the back rather near the curtains in the back of the stage, with two figures behind the desk, unmistakably watching him. 

The light softly fell upon them. One of the figure, a long-nosed man with bulging eyes, sitting on the chair behind the desk. Another one was a girl with long, silver hair tied to a single low ponytail draped over her chest. 

Somehow, he felt familiar with the two.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The man spoke in surprisingly high-pitched eerie voice, "To think another guest would arrive so shortly after the previous one... You are one of unusual fate."

Myungsoo sat up straight to see them better. The weird man was dressed in black suit, while the girl was dressed in overall blue clothing. If he had to describe it, she was dressed as an idol would be dressed, complete with the short frilly skirt.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Igor." The man introduced himself in a kind albeit amused tone then he gestured to the girl standing beside him. "And this is my assistant who's also the resident here."

"Hello, I'm Agatha. I will be aiding you on your journey." She waved one of her hand slightly, her other hand was holding a huge book. 

"This place exists between mind and matter, dream and reality. This is a room that only those who have signed the 'contract' would be able to enter." Igor then took a good look around, "As expected, you are such an unusual guest after our last one."

Agatha smirked cheekily on that, "Never thought we would see someone from the other island."

Igor chuckled, closing his eyes. "That being said, as you have signed the contract, we shall recognize you as our guest henceforth and welcome you shall you decide to come to this place. To reach the end of your journey, you will have to take hold of your power and refine it. To do so, you will require my assistance. I ask only one thing in return; that you abide by the contract, and take full responsibility of your actions."

Myungsoo nodded, "I understand." He said, because how else was he supposed to answer? Both Igor and Agatha seemed pleased of his response.

A key suddenly manifested from blue fog in front of Myungsoo's face. He took the key hesitantly, examining it. 

"That would be the key to enter this place. Please come whenever you wish." Igor explained. 

Myungsoo slowly started to feeling drowsy just as Agatha clapped and then the lights were turned off one by one.

"We will tell you the other details later, when you're ready." Agatha hummed, "Until the next performance."

 

* * *

 

**(Wednesday, 4/11 20xx. Afternoon.)**

One second, he was seeing a strange girl waving hand at him, and the next second, an extremely attractive young man was leaning down on his face. Granted, the said young man immediately jumped back once Myungsoo opened his eyes to meet his gaze. 

"Oh, you're awake!" The man said. "Wait, I'll go call your brother." 

With that, the man left the room. 

Myungsoo blinked his sleepiness away. After few seconds, he finally was aware that he was bedridden, on a room dominated with white, with a sterile-like scent clinging to his nose. Another few seconds, and he knew he had to be in a hospital. 

The door was rolled open and came Moonsoo through it, followed by the man from earlier and another man with noticeably small eyes, also a man dressed in white doctor jacket. "Hyung, how are you?" Moonsoo asked him worriedly, immediately approaching his side. 

"Handsome, but thirsty." Myungsoo weakly joked. 

All of the people not currently bedridden laughed at his expense, more of relief than anything. The doctor checked up on him and made sure he was not injured both internally or externally. After explaining that he needed to rest for another couple of days, the doctor left the room. 

"I'm glad you're okay!" Moonsoo said, "I was so worried when I heard about the accident."

"Sorry." Myungsoo murmured, "I only remembered the crash. What happened after I passed out?"

"Yesterday there was a big storm. During the storm, we heard loud noise from the bridge so I went to check it out and I found your car with you unconscious in it." The man with small eyes explained. Upon closer inspection, he faintly smelled like flowers and hand soap. 

"Hyung was really panicked and immediately called the hospital." The man who invaded his personal space just after he woke up spoke, "Since then you had been in the hospital. Shortly after they brought you in, we found out that you had a brother staying at the inn so we told him about you."

"It was a miracle that you got out of it uninjured! Like, there were barely any scratches and aside from shock, you're virtually uninjured!" Moonsoo commented with amazement. 

Myungsoo let that sink in for a bit before he looked up at Moonsoo, "I have to go back as soon as possible. My manager will kill me if I overstay–"

"You can't." The tall man (the one he first saw) interrupted. 

"What? Why?" Myungsoo frowned. 

The man with small eyes (thus, the nickname Small Eyes) bit his lips, "The source of the loud noise we heard during the storm... It was the bridge. The bridge collapsed."

Moonsoo definitely had pity on his eyes, "Since the only way to connect this town to other town was that bridge... We can't leave this town until they fixed it." 

That took a bit longer to sink in. But when the gears on his brain started to move, Myungsoo wasn't at all upset. He felt numb, but not in a bad way. After all, this would mean he wouldn't have to come back to his job for a while.

"How long would it take for the bridge to be repaired?" Myungsoo asked, trying to hide the hopefulness in his voice. If any of them caught the unexpected anticipation in his voice, nobody commented on it. 

Small Eyes considered for a second, "I'm not sure of the details, but the mayor said it would take at least ten months if everything is working smoothly. After all, not all of the bridge is destroyed."

So that would mean ten months of hiatus. Myungsoo could get behind that. Surely his boss and manager would understand. It's not like he could jump over the bridge.

"But this is quite a problem.." Small Eyes frowned, looking out over the window, "With the bridge collapsed, we're trapped inside the town. I'm afraid the inn was still full of guests from Raewook-ssi's funeral, and there were still lots of guests for the funeral trapped in the town who had only came yesterday before the storm. I'm afraid you'll find difficulties in finding a place to stay."

Myungsoo was about to say that it's okay, and that he'd just sleep in his car before he quickly realized that his car was probably unusable due to the crash. He'd ask Moonsoo about his car later. "I'd just.. Stay with Moonsoo, I guess."

At that moment, Moonsoo's face turned sheepish, "Oh, sorry, hyung... See, last night, the other club members who came yesterday morning asked to stay with me in my inn room, so.."

Tall And Cute (the tall man, because he was tall and cute) then stared at Small Eyes, "Hyung, wasn't there an empty house near the shopping district? You know, that one with big yard."

Small Eyes nodded hesitantly, "..yes?"

"Since, you know, he had no place to stay for the time being and that house is empty anyway, why can't he just live there? Temporarily, you know? I'm sure your father wouldn't mind. It's to help a visiting guest, after all." 

Both Myungsoo and Moonsoo looked up at Small Eyes, unsure what to take of Tall And Cute's words, but Myungsoo trusted him enough that Tall And Cute just wanted to help him out. He could appreciate that.

Small Eyes sighed exasperatedly, "You and handsome guys." He murmured at Tall And Cute, "Fine, I'll ask Father to clear it out. Consider it done."

"Thank you!" Tall And Cute beamed happily in Myungsoo's behalf. He then turned to look at Myungsoo, "I'm sorry for the late introduction, but I'm Lee Sungyeol. I'm co-worker of this man here." He gestured at Small Eyes who scoffed.

"Kim Sunggyu. We both work at the kindergarten near the town park." Small Eyes, who's called Sunggyu, said.

"Thank you for your help, Sungyeol-ssi, Sunggyu-ssi." Myungsoo replied. "I'm Kim Myungsoo. Nice to meet you."

Sungyeol took his hands and shook it cheerfully, "Once you're discharged, I'll come to help you settle in your new place. Do you have any more luggage aside from ones in your car?" 

"No, that should be it." 

"Alright! Thankfully the house is practically full-furnished so I'm sure you'd like it!"

At that point, Myungsoo didn't know what kind of journey fate had exclusively brewed for him. All he knew, was that he was pleased to be able to fade into mundane days instead of being restrained to chains of public expectations.


	2. chapter 01 - I am thou, thou art I / 나는 그대, 그대는 나

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myungsoo stumbled upon the mirror world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had it really been a week? holy god.  
> DO YOU GUYS KNOW THAT THERE IS ACTUAL INFINITE TAROT CARDS??? WELL I DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL LIKE YESTERDAY AND I WAS FREAKING OUT BECAUSE HOW MUCH OF A COINCIDENCE.  
> long end notes awaits.

Chapter 01: I am thou, thou art I / 나는 그대, 그대는 나

 

* * *

 

**(Friday, 4/13 20xx. Early Morning.)**

Myungsoo didn't have the time to recall about his dream of the weird stage called the Velvet Room until later, when he started to settle in his new 'home'.

Two days after he woke up in the hospital, he was cleared to be discharged from the hospital and true to his words, Lee Sungyeol greeted him in the lobby of the hospital. Of course, Moonsoo was there too, but Myungsoo found it surprising to actually see Sungyeol. 

"Are you ready?" Sungyeol asked, smile on his lips as if he was the one who'd move in to a new house instead of Myungsoo.

Myungsoo nodded in reply, allowing Sungyeol to guide the brothers to a car that was presumably Sungyeol's. "Oh, wait, I hope you're not traumatized being in the car." Sungyeol suddenly said, worried.

"No, I'm fine." Myungsoo smiled, "I didn't get injured, anyway."

"Oh.. Alright. Don't push yourself, though." Sungyeol said, unlocking his car.

After they settled in the car–Myungsoo in the passenger seat–Sungyeol began driving towards Myungsoo's new home.

 

* * *

 

"Sunggyu-hyung is busy helping his dad with town stuffs, but he told me to tell you that he's sorry he couldn't come and help." Sungyeol said, breaking the silence in the car some time after he began driving.

"It's okay." Myungsoo answered, watching the people they passed outside quietly. 

"So, how old are you?" 

Moonsoo, who was sitting in the backseat, laughed. Sungyeol and Myungsoo looked at him, but he turned out to be looking at his phone while wearing an earphone. Myungsoo looked at Sungyeol, "I just turned 26 last March." 

"Oh, then I'm older!" Sungyeol replied giddily, "I'll be 27 this year."

"You look younger than that." Myungsoo blurted out before he felt embarrassed over his words. 

Sungyeol laughed openly, "Why, thank you! By the way, you already know I work as kindergarten teacher. How about you? Are your bosses okay with your situation?"

Myungsoo stumbled on his words. In a way, it was refreshing to meet people like Sungyeol who didn't know who he was. But he didn't want to brag either–or at least, he didn't want to sound like he was bragging. There were really no other way to explain his job. 

"No, it should be fine. It can't be helped anyway. As for my job.. I sing." Was the best he could manage. And that was the worst explanation ever. 

"Wow, so, like, a singer! That's cool!" Sungyeol commented. 

He felt his face getting warmer. "I act too." He added weakly. 

Sungyeol blinked. "So... A singer and an actor? That's really cool!" 

Bless his good-natured heart. 

Myungsoo left it at that. He didn't want to say anymore, considering he prefer to leave the job using a funeral of someone he wasn't close with as an excuse. Fate was funny that way; he was born with passion to pursue his career, but whatever he did, it wasn't enough. 

It felt like chains more than wings. 

"We're here!" Sungyeol announced, blissfully ignorant of Myungsoo's self-deprecating inner thoughts. Myungsoo got out off the car and carefully examined the building in front of him. 

The house was tiny, save from its huge front yard. It was only one-story house and even from the outside, he could see how simple it was. 'Blank' was the image the house presented itself as. Just like he was, he supposed. 

"This is originally a town property. Some kind of public assembly headquarter or something? But more homely. You get it. That's why it's full-furnished but empty." Sungyeol kindly explained while unlocking the front door.

"Is it really okay for me to stay here?" Myungsoo asked, suddenly guilty. 

"It's alright. I heard from Sunggyu-hyung that the other guests had already found a place to stay. Some of the locals offered their houses as a place to stay." Sungyeol cheerfully smiled, "You get to make new friends in hard times like this!"

Myungsoo's view of Sungyeol kept getting better. Honestly, was there really a genuinely nice, optimistic person like him? 

"Sunggyu-ssi really knows everything, does he!" Moonsoo commented from behind them, trailing eagerly into the house. 

"That's because he's the son of the mayor." Sungyeol replied, "Most of us even consider him as a mayor-candidate from time to time and went to him to consult about the town. He even helped out his father's job and takes a part in town council meeting."

"That guy surprisingly has a good hold of his head." Moonsoo whistled. 

Myungsoo wasn't interested in making a comment of Sunggyu's apparent leadership skill. He was busy looking inside the living room of the house. From the living room, he could see the kitchen which also merged with the dining room, the bathroom door, and an open, rather big bedroom next to the dining room–between each room there weren't doors to separate them bar the bathroom. There was a small backyard in the back of the house. It was indeed full-furnished, he didn't need to worry about living tools. 

His chest felt tight with anticipation and warmth. He liked this. A lot. 

"Hey, Sungyeol-ssi?" Moonsoo called from near the kitchen. 

Sungyeol approached him, "What's up?"

"What's this door for?" Moonsoo was kneeling on the floor, fingers touching a trap door located in front of the kitchen counter. 

Sungyeol tilted his head in confusion. "I wonder? Maybe a cellar or basement?"

"It seems locked, though. Maybe a basement for town stuffs." Moonsoo quickly brushed it off. 

Meanwhile, Myungsoo was in cloud nine, imagining a simple, peaceful life in the house. 

 

* * *

 

**(Daytime.)**

Moonsoo and Sungyeol had excused themselves to leave first to attend to other business. Myungsoo didn't think of it as a problem, since there's hardly any cleaning to do aside from dusting some tables and windows and cleaning the floor. They also helped plenty already, so it was Myungsoo who encouraged them to just leave. 

He wiped the sweat on his forehead, clutching the handle of the broom he's holding. The house was even better and suit his tastes more than he thought. And the bed was so, so comfortable too. This started to feel like a vacation more than emergency situation. 

He had heard that there's still chances of the storm hitting the town once again in near future, but the weather forecast only said it was going to be sunny for the whole week. So he wasn't too worried. Push comes to shove, he could go to the town shelter near the hospital. As for his necessities, Moonsoo had agreed to accompany him buying food ingredients and other stuffs he needed to live in the house later. Maybe he would invite Moonsoo to live with him some time.

Myungsoo's inner thoughts were interrupted when his broom hit something on the floor. He looked down to see a trap door; the same trap door Moonsoo had examined earlier. 

Curiosity got the best of him. He crouched down, touching it. The small door was made of wood, matching the floor of the entire house. He tried to pull it but it didn't budge. Maybe it was locked. 

Myungsoo fished out the keys Sungyeol gave him and tried to match it one by one. Only then did he notice the trap door didn't have a keyhole of any sort, so maybe it was only too heavy to be lifted with a simple pull. Myungsoo put the broom away and stood in front of the trap door, stance ready. He lifted the trap door with both hands. 

After struggling–boy, the door was quite heavy–he managed to open it to reveal staircase. Again, curious, he grabbed his phone to shed some light with the flashlight feature and walked down. The trap door was small, he could barely stretch out his hands. The staircase wasn't as steep as he thought it would be, but he was still cautious while stepping down. 

His first thought was 'What a nice basement'. It's a pretty big room with no much things. He considered it because the people didn't use the house that much. There was a flag pole with the flag leaning on the wall, a broken bookshelf made of wood, and some other stuffs. But aside from those, the room was completely empty of furniture. 

The only thing there that caught his attention was a big mirror placed in the middle of the room. It was so big that even the height exceeded Myungsoo's own. The mirror was framed by a very old-looking frame, also made of wood, with lots of beautiful carvings around it. 

There was something about the mirror that pulled Myungsoo in. His reflection seemed off, somehow. It watched him stepping closer slowly, hesitantly. Of course it's just him watching himself, but he could felt that his reflection held his breath, anticipating over how close Myungsoo would dare to be. 

Finally, he stood right in front of the mirror. He managed to laugh seeing himself on the mirror, how dirty his clothes were from cleaning the house even though the house wasn't that dirty. He wondered why this mirror was placed in the basement. Then again, there was no room in the house big enough to–

_–how did they get the mirror in the basement, in the first place?_

Something moved in the mirror. 

He was startled, looking behind to see what it was, but there wasn't anything moving behind him. Suddenly feeling nervous, he stepped back from the mirror. Eyes searching wildly in the room, with only the flashlight from his phone and the lamp weakly lighting the basement. 

There was a noise–probably rats, near the carton boxes, but it was still startling, and he was so on edge about everything that he stumbled in his steps and fell backwards. Expecting to hit the mirror and probably end up with injuries from broken glass, after only just recovering from a car crash, Myungsoo closed his eyes tight.

 

* * *

 

The crash never came. 

What came was his body to hit a solid ground just like that. No sound of mirror being broken, or any broken glass piercing his skin. No, what he heard was his own groan as his body unceremoniously crashed to the floor and a loud thud accompanying it. 

Opening his eyes, what he saw confused him more than the fact that he didn't fall bringing the mirror with him. 

He was in a different room altogether from the basement. The basement had soft blue color of its walls; whereas the room he was in now was painted light grey, with probably hundreds of mirrors pinned to the ceilings and walls. The mirrors were painted with various paints, but it wasn't colorful–the paints were only of grey variations, faded blue and red, and the room was shaped like triangle upwards. 

Then he noticed the mirror. The same exact mirror as the one in the basement stood in front of him. Same frame, same wood carvings, same size. Only that the mirror was now in front of him, and not behind him.

Brushing aside the many questions going through his head, Myungsoo stood up to inspect the place. From the mirror, he could see that there was some kind of door behind him. So he went there and opened it, determined to find out where he was. 

He blinked owlishly at what he found upon opening the door. He had left the hospital in the early morning, came to the house around 9 am, and it wasn't even noon when he came down the basement but it was already dark outside. 

He stepped into the street, ignoring the alarm going off in his head because how come the room possibly connected to his basement could even lead to the street? But it was indeed the same street he know was outside of the house. Heck, even the other buildings there were the same exact buildings surrounding the house. He could see the shopping district just some distance away, and the tall building sizing up the other small ones was definitely the town hall. 

Myungsoo bit his inner cheeks as he watched a figure approaching from the junction near where he stood. Only that the figure wasn't anything humanoid; it was as if–as if it was some _glob_ , shapeless creature dragging itself towards where Myungsoo was. And not to mention the sounds it made–low growl and groan, mixed with gross slick noise. 

Myungsoo looked the other way and immediately his stomach dropped. On the other way of the street were more of the creatures, varying in size and shapes. His heart thumped loudly against his rib cage, every fiber of his being screamed at him to run. 

He turned around towards the house, immediately entering the room where the mirror was placed. If his suspicion was right, then he could use the mirror to go back to where his basement was. Without turning back, Myungsoo watched as he came closer and closer to his reflection; face pale and legs slightly trembling. He closed his eyes as he ran right into the mirror. 

And then, the nauseous feeling in his stomach stopped and the warmth of his basement greeted him. He opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the dim light of the room. Panting slightly, Myungsoo took a nearby white cloth and draped it over the mirror and made sure there were no part of the mirror uncovered by the cloth. After that, he grabbed his phone which was dropped into the floor earlier and ran towards the staircase, closing the trap door with a slam and ran outside the house. 

 

* * *

 

**(Saturday, 4/14 20xx. Morning.)**

Someone should give him an award for quietly returning to the house alone even after the incident with the mirror. In fact, someone should congratulate him for falling for the joke–at least, that was what he thought of it. Someone must've had planned that. As a teasing or trick, maybe a good-natured prank. 

But when he woke up that morning, alone in his new bed, recalling the events of the previous night, he was stunned in silence, trying to find an answer about the world he saw. It couldn't possibly a prank. How could someone set up a prank so deliberate and complex it literally made Myungsoo shift through different locations without him being aware of it? 

Myungsoo put that train of thoughts away, to the 'Things That I Should Probably Look Up Later When I'm Fully Awake' shelf at the back of his mind. He wanted to sleep in, since it was Saturday, but he couldn't help but desperately want to inform someone, anyone, of what he just witnessed the day before. He considered Moonsoo, but decided against it. Moonsoo wasn't probably going to believe him, and he didn't want to be treated as a psychotic person so early in the morning. 

Then Sungyeol's face came to his mind and he came to a decision. 

 

* * *

 

Luckily, since it was Saturday, Sungyeol didn't have to attend work and could be found having a meal at the small family restaurant near his flat. That meant no little nightmares that were children going to cling to Myungsoo and bother their talk. Myungsoo mentally prepared himself–he was about to bring up a topic most people wouldn't believe after all. 

"Sungyeol-nim." He greeted as he took the seat across Sungyeol who was munching his meal happily in a way that resembled a squirrel.

It took Sungyeol a while to properly chew and swallow his meal before he looked at Myungsoo with amused twinkle in his eyes, "You know you could call me hyung instead." He commented, already chewing another mouthful of his breakfast. 

Myungsoo blinked in surprise, watching Sungyeol who only shrugged his shoulders for a while before clearing his throat, "Sungyeol-hyung, then."

Sungyeol nodded, seemingly content with the familiarity. Myungsoo had another few moments to collect himself and to choose his wordings carefully; his next words would determine his fate, whether he would be shunned by the only person willing to deal with him in this town or, well, whether the said person would help him somehow. 

"So, the mirror." He started. 

Sungyeol raised a brow, just in time to swallow. "What mirror?" He asked, confused. 

"You know, the mirror in the basement..?" Myungsoo said, "I thought you knew."

"No... Sunggyu-hyung never mentioned anything about mirror, especially the one in the basement." Sungyeol tilted his head, "What's this about mirror?"

"Uh, well." Myungsoo winced, suddenly feeling the hurdle was higher than he had anticipated, "It's weird."

"How weird?" He only knew Sungyeol not even for a week and already he could feel his replies to be, well, Sungyeol-like. With exasperated expression as if he had given up on delicately presenting his problem, Myungsoo opened his mouth. 

"Like, 'suddenly transporting you into a different world' level of weird. I can't be so sure but there were some monsters. And weird atmosphere... Are you laughing?"

Sungyeol cleared his throat in a failed attempt to cover up his snort, "I'm not." He grinned, "I didn't take you for someone who fantasized about a world full of monsters, though."

No good, he definitely didn't believe him. Well, at least he wasn't demeaning him or anything–he could take small teasings like that. Sungyeol watched him with glee in his eyes, seemingly not weirded out. In a way, that made Myungsoo a little glad. 

"I'm not... It really happened yesterday." Myungsoo tried weakly, sighing when Sungyeol's grin grew wider. "I'm surprised you don't insult me as a lunatic the moment I told you about it."

Surprise, horror, and hurt flashed in Sungyeol's face, all mixed into one single bewildered expression he maintained as he replied, "No way, I wouldn't go that far... Sure, it might be ridiculous but I'm not completely dissing out the idea. It's just plain rude to treat you cruelly like that."

At first, Myungsoo was (pleasantly) surprised by Sungyeol's kid-like stand of view. But then again, Sungyeol worked with kids, undoubtedly children full of imagination and innocence. He definitely had an instinct not to stomp down an idea, no matter how improbable that idea was. 

Myungsoo tapped his fingers on the table, biting his lower lip. Maybe, Sungyeol would believe him if he saw the thing with his own eyes? But there was also a small, lingering doubt on the back of his mind that what he had seen was nothing more than a dream. 

He decided to push it. 

"Maybe you'll have to see it for yourself, hyung." Myungsoo said quietly, averting his eyes. 

Sungyeol stared at him, long and hard, before smiling, "Sure, why not?"

It's not like it sounded real, anyway. 

 

* * *

 

**(Evening.)**

They arrived at the house rather late, because Moonsoo had asked Sungyeol to take him to various scenic locations in the town for his personal project. Myungsoo didn't protest. He figured the longer he had to stay out of the house, the better it would be for his already high strung inner alarm, always in caution to the point it was hard to sleep. Also, by going out he was able to buy some food ingredients and some other necessities. At the very least, he wanted to live as comfortable as his current situation would allow. 

"Careful, the ceiling is a bit low above the stairs." Myungsoo murmured, already steps ahead down the basement. 

Sungyeol studied the staircase and its walls, how narrow and small it was. It's certainly difficult for a person to bring a big mirror through the stairs. He pondered about what would happen had him and Moonsoo descend into the basement the day before. 

Upon arriving at the basement, his attention was definitely caught by the mirror Myungsoo mentioned, covered from one corner to the other by a big white cloth. He grabbed the cloth himself and pulled it while Myungsoo watched from behind. Nothing special about the mirror. It was only a huge mirror, reflecting his curious expression and Myungsoo's pale face. He held the urge to laugh at the clear nervousness on Myungsoo's face, deciding instead to inspect the mirror closer. He appreciated the carvings and the wooden texture of its frame. Somehow, the grandiose image of the mirror matched Myungsoo, in a way he couldn't explain. 

"Well? It's a pretty mirror." Sungyeol commented, smiling amusedly at the desperation on Myungsoo's face. It was so much fun to tease people, albeit he felt guilty about it. But in his defense, what Myungsoo had described sounded pretty much like a bad case of nervousness due having to stay in an unfamiliar place. He could understand that, he dreamt of nightmares sometimes when he felt uncomfortable.

Myungsoo gestured at Sungyeol to wait, and approached the mirror. Carefully, cautiously, as if the mirror would harm him if he wasn't being tactful about it. Sungyeol watched with interest, genuinely curious about what Myungsoo had said, but also skeptic of it being true. Myungsoo reached his hand out towards the mirror, shaking slightly. 

Then–

–then, Myungsoo's hand was inside the mirror, as if the mirror was a door, a window to whatever behind it. 

And Sungyeol almost fainted.

 

* * *

 

After a good few minutes of bickering and coaxing Sungyeol into walking in to the mirror (all the while Myungsoo's one hand was still inside the mirror), both of them found themselves into the grey room with lots of mirrors. Now that Myungsoo looked closer, some of the mirrors in the ceilings were actually windows, showing the sky outside. Again, Myungsoo found it weird that the time frame differ from that of the world they came from. It was night time before, but now the sun was shining down the windows in the room, lighting it up in the ways Myungsoo didn't witness the previous time he was there. 

Myungsoo felt the familiar clench inside his stomach, nausea and dread filling his head. He breathed slowly to keep his rational mind above that unsettling feeling. At the very least, he didn't want to worry Sungyeol. 

Sungyeol himself wasn't any better. Fully aware that Myungsoo's words were true, he wasn't adamant in exploring more. This didn't feel like a dream because, well, it felt real. He glanced at Myungsoo, who looked calm, unaware that Myungsoo also felt nervous. 

"Let's go outside." Myungsoo said, and every single fiber of Sungyeol's body practically screamed no, but he couldn't help his (completely shaking) legs to follow behind Myungsoo towards a door behind them. Myungsoo noticeably exhaled before he opened the door and walked outside, a shaken Sungyeol behind. 

The first thing went through Myungsoo's mind was, alright, it wasn't as scary as the first time, since he wasn't alone. 

The second thing–

"HOT! HOT!" Sungyeol yelled, making a dash towards a shade just below the tree in the garden. He looked at Myungsoo with shock in his face. "You didn't tell me it was hot here!"

Myungsoo, feeling a burning sensation on his skin where the sunlight touched it and even more uncomfortable feeling on the parts his clothes covered, walked rapidly towards the same shade Sungyeol took shelter in. Immediately, he felt better. Like he had walked on the sun surface and then someone poured a cold water on him. 

"It was night the first time I came here." Myungsoo described, "It wasn't this hot.."

"But it is now!" Sungyeol whimpered in terrified way.

"I know.." Myungsoo gritted his teeth, "But I want to check the area more."

"Myungsoo, let's not do that." Sungyeol stared at him with pained eyes, heart heavy thinking about walking under that degree of heat. He'd rather enter a sauna for half an hour; at least it was enjoyable. 

"But, hyung.."

There were barks. Of dogs. 

They went silent, exchanging stares. Myungsoo was definitely weak against dogs, he thought of them as adorable. But he didn't know about Sungyeol. He opened his mouth once again, at the very least he wanted to check the barkings... 

And there went Sungyeol, without any hesitation he abandoned his reluctance to walk around the area, already running towards where the barks sounded like they were coming from. Myungsoo stood in stunned silence before his brain stopped buffering and immediately chased after Sungyeol, cursing the heat. How did Sungyeol even manage to throw away his heat-sensitive nerves, Myungsoo didn't know. Maybe he really wanted to rescue those dogs. 

Myungsoo stopped when he heard a panicked scream. Dimly, he recognized the voice to be Sungyeol–raw and filled with fear. With newfound determination, mostly due to fear of the situation escalating to the point of where he couldn't do anything, he picked up his speed and looked for where Sungyeol was. He turned around the corner near the town park, and immediately was overwhelmed when he saw Sungyeol, crouching down with his back facing Myungsoo, and three monsters with a beetle-like form which already set their eyes on defenseless Sungyeol. 

If there was anytime Myungsoo felt utter desperation and helplessness, it was the time when one of the giant beetle swung its hands, trying to strike Sungyeol. _If only he didn't ask Sungyeol to come down with him–_

_If only he had strength and power to do something, anything–_

 

* * *

 

_**"Then, sing."** _

 

* * *

 

–the world seemed to stop as ringing filled Myungsoo's ears. He shut his eyes in reflex, shielding away from the painful high-pitched noise jamming through his ears, piercing his mind. Numbly, he could hear L's voice, telling him to sing, amidst the ringing. 

Without fully realizing what had happened, he reached his hand out towards a microphone that had suddenly materialized in front of him from a blue mist which now completely surrounding him. He took a glance at Sungyeol and the monsters; the monstrous beetle-like creature had stopped mid-attack, watching Myungsoo in wary instead. Sungyeol, in the other hand, stared at him with eyes filled with shock. 

The ringing ceased, now his mind was so clear just like a crystal– _a brand new mirror_. He knew what to do. He was now sure of himself. 

A voice echoed from deep within his mind, his heart.

 

**_I am thou, thou art I..._ **

**_I am the reaper of the dead, once a human venturing the Underworld_ **

**_I have come to answer thy call_ **

**_Awaken, and take hold of thy stage_ **

**_For I shalt be what thee desire me be,_ **

**_Just as thou shalt be what they desire thee be_ **

 

He gripped his microphone tightly, eyes focused on the beetle monsters. With a clear, firm voice, he summoned the power he had inside him, buried deep in slumber all these time. 

**"Per–"**

The monster charged at him, forgetting Sungyeol. 

**"–so–"**

Sungyeol yelled a warning at his way. 

**"–na!"**

 

* * *

 

For a split second, so many things happened at once.

_First_ ; the microphone in his hand suddenly disappeared. It dissolved into a bright, blue flame which immediately engulfed him before he had any chance to react.

_Second_ ; the blue flames surrounding him immediately filled the area, knocking away the beetle charging at him. The beetle in turn dissolved into a black smoke, fading into the air.

_Third_ ; along with the blue flames covering his entire body, his clothes began to change. His simple white shirt now turned into a black T-shirt, with an unzipped black jacket covering it, and his jeans now turned into a black pants with white big pattern on it.

_Fourth_ ; he was pretty sure Sungyeol blacked out for a moment due to sheer panic and distress because Sungyeol looked like he honestly didn't know where they were or who he was.

_Fifth_ ; he could feel a big energy coming from something behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know what it was. 

He held out his hand towards the remaining beetle-monsters, and called out with a loud voice–

"Gangnim!"

His jacket and hair both blew forward just as a rush of wind passed him, and in an instant a cold air filled the bare street as a huge skeletal figure stood in front of him, floating in the air. It held out its scythe, and made a slashing motion towards both the beetles without actually landing a hit on them. Just then, both beetles got frozen as literally ice grew out of their body, encasing them. The skeletal figure then tapped the ground with the wooden end of its giant scythe, and then the monsters exploded as a black mass.

Sungyeol's eyes on Myungsoo grew wider as he realized that the skeletal figure came from Myungsoo. With a cocky smirk, Myungsoo stared at Sungyeol. The skeletal figure already went back to hover behind him.

It's the power he was promised– _his True Self_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this might sound OOT but i can't believe daeyeol is now an idol. and the leader, to boot! i can't believe he now has his own tag in this site and even got his own ship. what will happen to my precious moonsoo x daeyeol ship. well, enough lamenting.
> 
> me: i don't even know what kind of house design and mirror room should i do for the story  
> literally a lot of infinite MVs: i got your back fam  
> i can't believe the universe itself lined up with me to match the story. i got the inner design of the house from The Eye MV, the mirror room from Bad and The Chaser MV, and the mirror world from Destiny MV.
> 
> also, although i have written a short Myungyeol-centric story titled "masulsa" with the same Persona AU concept, and this was intended to be its expansion, there are actually differences. mostly the fact that in here, Hoya's Persona will not be Apollo because stupid me just realized that Apollo isn't the representation of the arcana Hoya holds. i also have made some more changes, so if you want to read "masulsa" as connected from this story, i just want to warn you that by now, it's more of a spin-off with the same concept but different details.


	3. chapter 02: I'm going crazy / 미치겠어

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myungsoo got his first Social Link. Sungyeol met his True Self.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know... I'm sorry. My undergraduate thesis proved to be a hard thing to write, and I'm just so occupied with college...  
> But here's chapter 2 (or 3, because the prologue counts as chapter 1) and it's Sungyeol-centered. Kinda.

 

Chapter 02: I'm going crazy / 미치겠어

 

* * *

 

**(Saturday, 4/14 20xx.)**

Myungsoo walked closer towards Sungyeol, who was still gaping at him with disbelief of what had just happened. Myungsoo merely smiled–he still maintained the same cocky smile as earlier, body gesture filled with confidence and suaveness. He exchanged stares with Sungyeol, then inclined with a slight tilt of his head, "Why didn't you run?" Albeit it was a scolding, his tone was kind and more to the curious side than anything.

Sungyeol didn't have to answer him as the small bundle in his embrace suddenly moved and caught their attention. Within his arms, a small head of a puppy emerged, yipping at them both. Myungsoo realized it then, that Sungyeol must had found the puppy in danger of being attacked by the monsters and immediately went to protect it without giving any second thoughts about himself. The puppy again yipped as if confirming his thoughts. 

Myungsoo knelt in front of Sungyeol, petting the small puppy gently. "Hey, there. What are you doing here? Are you lost?" He asked softly, chuckling when the feline barked in return. 

"Thanks–" Sungyeol choked out, finally getting back his brain function after the earlier shock of watching your new acquaintance killing some monsters with a weird power. In retrospect, his shock didn't even fully convey how messed up the situation was. 

Still holding the tiny puppy in his embrace, Sungyeol took Myungsoo's hand to stand up. "What.. What was that?" Sungyeol managed, voice strained. 

"I don't know." Myungsoo answered truthfully.

Okay, that made absolutely zero sense for Sungyeol. But he'd rather question it later, in the safety of his mundane town, than under a scorching sun of the obviously hostile environment they were in. "We need to go. I can't handle being in this place any longer." He urged, wincing when he felt pain on his legs. He glanced at it to see scrapes on his skin. Great. A souvenir from this weird world. He hoped it wouldn't bring unknown biological problems. 

Thankfully, Myungsoo agreed and walking side by side (with the white puppy in his arms), they returned to the initial street they came from. Sighing in relief, Sungyeol walked towards the house but paused when the dog barked and growled, struggling in his hold. 

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Sungyeol asked worriedly. The dog kept struggling until its lithe small body broke free from his arms and jumped to the ground. It stared at Myungsoo for a bit before running towards the left end of the street. 

"Should we chase after it?" Myungsoo asked. He wanted to, but he felt drained and tired. If he went after the dog, he'd rather have Sungyeol with him just in case he passed out. Again, they heard barkings, as if the dog daring them to come after it. 

Sungyeol clenched his fist, clearly in dilemma. He really wanted to bring the puppy back, but he had enough of exploring around. With a shaky breath, he said, "No.. Let's just go back. I'm tired." 

Myungsoo nodded. He walked inside the grey room, still full of mirrors, and watched from the mirror of how Sungyeol (who was trailing behind him) had his shoulders slumped, as if in guilt and regret. 

They entered the mirror, and Sungyeol immediately excused himself and ran upstairs, leaving Myungsoo watching his back, dimly aware that he was back to his white shirt and faded jeans.

 

* * *

 

Myungsoo opened his eyes to the familiar singing voice accompanied by a piano. He found himself in the dim performance hall again. The two figures on the stage, Igor and Agatha, had a knowing smile on their face. 

"It's so delightful to meet you again," Igor's eerie voice greeted Myungsoo as he focused his blurry eyes towards the stage, "I have summoned you here from within your slumber, in your dream. You have nothing to worry about."

Agatha walked closer towards the edge of the stage, crouching to level her eyes to his. With an amused grin, she spoke, "What an interesting power you have awakened. You're the next one, I see."

Myungsoo tilted his head, unsure of the meaning behind Agatha's words. However, she just smiled and walked back to Igor's side, humming serenely in tone of the singing voice echoing through the room. Igor shifted his hands so he was leaning on the back of his right hand on top of his left hand. With gleeful eyes, he watched Myungsoo.

"It was surprising that Gangnim heeded your call when you followed the voice of your inner self. Then again, you are such an unusual guest, therefor a unusual Persona had came from the sea of souls." Igor said, "The power you have awoken to, Persona, is a side of yourself which surfaces when you face the world around you. Perhaps, you can think of it as a.. 'mask' you wear in reaction to various obstacles in your life."

"Or in your case, considering the state of this room, it's a 'role' you take and act upon!" Agatha chided in, a bit too happily for his liking.

"Your ability is a special one compared to that of others, called the wild card. It allows you a unique trait, as it is blank and empty. Like the number zero, it holds _infinite_ potentials, which you are free to explore and develop." Igor explained, with a smile Myungsoo could now recognize as 'kindly'.

"Your power is still quite weak, though." Agatha said with a sad tone. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she was mocking him. 

"Your Persona ability is drawn out of your inner strength, which fuels itself by the strength of your bonds with the others; an emotional ties with people you hold dear to your heart which in turn strengthen it. You will have to develop a _Social Link_  by becoming involved with others. The stronger your bonds are, your Persona ability will also develop." Igor continued his explaining, sounding like he was used to his role after years of experience. "Make sure to remember that, my dear guest. I certainly look forward to seeing your performance."

Agatha held the book she was holding between her armpit, then clapped her hands twice. Myungsoo watched as the lights turned off one bye one, again, just like the last time.

"Now, then. Our time is running out for now. The next time we meet, it shall be under your own accord." Igor chuckled, anticipation clear in his tone. Agatha waved her hand as the lights dimmed, enclosing Myungsoo in a comfortable darkness.

"Until we meet again in your next performance."

 

* * *

 

**(Sunday, 4/15 20xx. Early Morning.)**

There was a ruckus at the street heading towards the town middle school. People were murmuring, surrounding a two-story house located on the slope leading to the school. Local police officers stood around, guarding the place. One of the young officer looked up at the bedroom window on the second floor, the bedroom window of a teenage girl, one of the students at the local high school.

At least, she used to be.

 

* * *

 

**(Morning.)**

Myungsoo was eating his breakfast in the comfort of his house when the front door slammed open and came Lee Sungyeol, panting hard as if he had just did a run around the town. Myungsoo raised an eyebrow, eyeing him in a collected manner. Though, it was his habit to be indifferent towards any urgency so early in the morning, especially after he had just woken up and having breakfast. 

"Someone is dead!"

Well. That wasn't what Myungsoo had expected to come out from Sungyeol's mouth. 

Putting down his spoon slowly, Myungsoo gestured Sungyeol to sit down on one of the chairs. He let his thoughts wander about the reason why the house would need seven chairs for one dining table if there's only one bed, but returned back to reality when Sungyeol finally took a seat. The older man was still panting heavily, his face was pale and covered in sweat. 

"What happened?" Myungsoo asked as a starter. He lost his appetite already, however much of a glutton he was. 

Sungyeol opened his fists on the table, staring at them as he innerly formed words and sentences. He stared at Myungsoo like a lost person before sighing. There were panic and distress in his eyes–he wore his emotions on his sleeves, it was obvious for Myungsoo to read it, as opposed to himself who usually hid behind a wall of facade. 

"The girl–" Sungyeol began, but then decided that it wasn't a good starting point and redid it, "I was passing by the middle school for a change in scenery, you know, because I couldn't sleep last night because–because what happened yesterday–"

Myungsoo merely nodded, encouraging him to continue. 

"Well, so, I was walking, and there's this huge ruckus in front of one of the houses near the school. Like, the whole neighborhood crowding the house kind of ruckus. And I–well, obviously, I was curious as to what happened, right? And Hoya-hyung was there, too, so I thought that was, maybe, I don't know, interesting?" He rambled, his eyes couldn't decide where to stay and focus, instead wandering around the room.

"Hyung," Myungsoo held Sungyeol's arms, interrupting his distressed rambling, "I promise I'll listen to what you said, so calm down for a bit. Do you want to drink something?"

Sungyeol opened his mouth, then closed it, then let out a shaky breath. He nodded, accepting a glass of water Myungsoo had offered to him. He gulped the entire water down before setting down the glass on the table. Myungsoo patted his back slowly, and stayed quiet for as long as Sungyeol needed to calm down. After few minutes, Sungyeol had calmed down significantly and Myungsoo stared at him, allowing him to continue. 

"I asked Hoya-hyung–he's a police, uh, a policeman assistant that I know–about what happened, and he said that the daughter of the family was found dead in her room. He said that it's highly possible that she died because someone killed her." Sungyeol explained. Although he had calmed down, his tone still carried a distressed edge to it. 

"Did they find clues to find the culprit?" Myungsoo asked, more to respond to Sungyeol than genuinely curious. 

"No.. They said she was–she was dead inside her room, which was locked. There's no traces of anything." 

"Could it be that she committed suicide?"

"No, the police already checked and it turned highly possible to be a murder case." Sungyeol gripped the sides of his head, "And since the bridge collapsed, the murderer is trapped here, just like all of us..."

Ah. That clicked just now. No wonder why Sungyeol was so terrified about it. Someone basically had seen the bridge collapsing with no way to escape from the town as a chance to, well, indulge in his sick game. 

"Do you personally know the victim?" Myungsoo inquired, feeling dread settling inside his stomach. Now that he understood where Sungyeol was coming from, it wasn't hard to start feeling afraid as well. 

Sungyeol shook his head, "No, I only know her because we live in the same town and we passed each other sometimes." He answered.

"I see." Myungsoo eyed his unfinished breakfast. As much as he wanted to continue his meal, his stomach would probably throw it all out again due to the nausea he felt right then. 

"There's a loose murderer between us.. And that weird world... I'm going crazy!" Sungyeol hissed, half-banging his head on the table. He then just laid his head and hand on it, sideways so he could look at Myungsoo. 

"Myungsoo.." He quietly said. 

Myungsoo caught his gaze. Beneath the fear and panic in Sungyeol's eyes, there was a fire–a quiet determination. It captivated Myungsoo, so much that he almost missed what Sungyeol said next. 

"Let's go back to that world."

 

* * *

 

He had tried to stop Sungyeol. Well, not exactly, since he mostly only asked if Sungyeol was really, completely, one hundred percent sure about this. But it was for the same goal, to deter Sungyeol from going in. 

Myungsoo didn't particularly worry about himself, since he got a Persona no matter how little he understand about its true power. But Sungyeol... Well, for one, he panic easily and when he did, he turned careless. And that's what Myungsoo had gotten from only one day of observation. 

It would had been fine if Sungyeol only asked Myungsoo to go. At least he could be focused and careful, and there would be no sense of duty to keep watch like an escort mission. But no, Sungyeol wanted to go in himself, alone, and Myungsoo was having none of it. 

"I will not move from this spot until you agree to let me come with you." Myungsoo said, sternly, sitting on the trap door. 

Sungyeol huffed, still stubbornly trying to push Myungsoo out of the way. In other case, it would be a fun activity to do, since Sungyeol was so much similar to a kid. But this was not the case, and Myungsoo would not back down, no matter how adorably child-like Sungyeol turned to be. 

After almost an hour of struggles, including Sungyeol begging him using fake cutesy acts to no avail (he should had recorded that), finally Sungyeol relented. "Fine, you can come. But I'm leading the way." He said with a scowl. 

Myungsoo considered it for a bit before nodding. It was better than Sungyeol recklessly going in alone. He moved from above the trap door, opening it before descending on the stairs, Sungyeol followed suit (he might or might not had complained about leading the way). 

The familiar mirror greeted them in the basement. Myungsoo had almost forgotten about how uncomfortable it made him feel. Now, he didn't feel anything harmful. It was like he had a good grasp on his feelings, on his thoughts. Perhaps, it was one of the effect of having Persona. 

Speaking of which, he was shocked upon the fact that his Persona could actually speak to him inside his mind, a mere fleeting comment that he knew wasn't originating from him. However, the Persona had respected Myungsoo's request to keep it low, since it was pretty distracting as he only got the power recently. Perhaps, later, when he was more accustomed, he could have a chat with his Persona about various things. That wouldn't be so bad. 

He glanced at Sungyeol's reflection on the mirror. Despite his bravado and stubbornness, Myungsoo could clearly see his thighs trembling and his shaking fists. It would be wise not to comment on that, he decided. If push came to shove, he would pull Sungyeol back, ignoring whatever protests he would say.

"It's probably night time in the other world." Myungsoo commented, pulling one conclusion from experience. "Just in case, let's bring a flashlight and our phones."

"Got it!" Sungyeol said, holding up his phone. 

"Alright, let's go." Myungsoo said as he walked easily into the mirror. 

Just like he had predicted, it was indeed night time in the world behind the mirror. He turned around to see Sungyeol stumbled from the mirror, catching him with ease. "Thanks.." Sungyeol murmured, his face already filled with unease. 

Sungyeol decided to divert his attention towards something else more interesting. "Your clothes! It changed!" He said, surprised. 

Myungsoo looked down, then at the mirror. He was back into the black shirt-black jacket-black pants outfit. He didn't dislike it, though. It resembled his clothing preference. He hummed in acknowledgement, pleased by how it looked like on him now that he could appreciate it fully without any danger of being in the middle of the fight. 

"Does that mean that whenever you come into this world your clothes will change?" Sungyeol asked.

Myungsoo shrugged, "Maybe." He wasn't about to complain, though. 

"Whatever." Sungyeol huffed, "Let's just go and explore! I'm just glad it's night time, no sun to burn my skin and my insides!"

 

* * *

 

They barely walked for five minutes when they heard the familiar barkings of a dog. Sungyeol's body literally sagged with relief, abandoning its tense posture the entire time they explored around. Sungyeol turned to exchange stares with him, mutually agreeing to go look for the presumably white puppy they had found the day before.

It was considerably easier for Myungsoo to meander through the empty streets by now. He wasn't afraid anymore of the shadows (he instinctively knew what those monsters are actually called) lurking on the streets. His Persona's strikes were precise, and it felt more like a walk in the park than a chore. He didn't feel as tired as he was the first time he called his Persona. Maybe in terms of a video game, he had leveled up?

And just like in video games, the shadows dropped lots of items and sometimes money when they're defeated in battles. It was mostly unfamiliar items and so little money, though. Myungsoo absent-mindedly pocketed one of the materials, only to smile sheepishly when Sungyeol stared at him worriedly. After that, he decided to ignore whatever items dropped because Sungyeol was scared and nervous that they're dangerous. He supposed Sungyeol's concern was justified and well-found. 

They pressed on. 

It didn't take long during his relaxed run for things to go south quickly. It literally only took a minute, him being distracted by fighting a shadow, attention completely focused on the various ways he could finish off the shadow. When he finished the fight (he felt a surge of energy inside and felt even stronger!) he stretched his hands. And only then did he realize his mistake. 

With a gasp full of disbelief and exasperation, he quickly noticed the lack of a certain tall man anywhere near him. Smacking his forehead for his own stupidity and ignorance (at least he was willing to admit it was partially his fault), he quickly ran to the way they had came from. Since Myungsoo already defeated all the shadows in the path, it was clear that Sungyeol would backtrack through the safe streets than proceed ahead towards roads full of shadows. 

 

* * *

 

Sungyeol listened closely, using every instinct in his body to go where the barks felt the closest. 

In all honesty, it might be a bad idea to sneak away from Myungsoo in an unfamiliar, harmful world like this. And he would own up to his mistake, later, when they went back to Myungsoo's basement, for as much as Myungsoo wanted him to. But for now, he believed his own hearing skill. After all, it had succeeded to find the puppy once, so he had some confidence. 

He broke into an open run when he heard frantic barks from the world's version of shopping district. Arriving there, he could see the first shops he would had seen every time he passed by the place. In the middle of the road of the darkened shopping district, he could see the white puppy from yesterday–and also a black floating glob he was sure was the same shadows Myungsoo defeated earlier. 

The white puppy barked once again, full of hostility towards the floating shadow. If only Sungyeol didn't like dogs that much... 

Sungyeol sprinted, taking the puppy in his arms the same way he had done yesterday. Now that the shadow's attention turned into him, he immediately ran away, carrying the puppy with him. "It's okay!" He said to the puppy, turning left on one of the empty junction in the shopping district. 

He risked a glance behind and sure enough, the shadow was chasing him. Except that it wasn't alone anymore. Somehow, it had brought the attention of other shadows, causing a whole bunch of shadows hot in his trail. Sungyeol cursed his luck, Myungsoo was probably too far from him. 

Damn it, if only–

The puppy howled when a shadow crashed into Sungyeol from one of the shop, so hard that Sungyeol literally was blown away to the shop across. Pain filled his body, as he felt the back of his head crashed into the store window behind him. He fell to the ground, numbly aware that the puppy was still in his arms, barking towards the shadow.

"No.. I won't let you hurt her.." Sungyeol murmured, curling his bruised body to shield the puppy. 

He knew that it was him to blame, and wondering if Myungsoo would come before it's too late. He groaned as the shadow crept towards him, casting a shade on Sungyeol. It truly felt like that last moment before one of the characters in a horror movie get devoured by the monster. 

_If only he had the power to protect the puppy._

 

* * *

 

Sungyeol stopped trembling. He exhaled shakily. Opening his eyes to see the puppy, now quiet in his hold, and gave it a small smile. 

"You're right. I do have the power."

Sungyeol turned to glare at the shadow in front of them, still towering over them. Blue mist surrounded them as if caging them in a circle. Wind blew upwards, playing with his hair, as if it came from the ground. 

A microphone–different design from Myungsoo's mic–manifested from the mist, presenting itself in front of Sungyeol. Without hesitation, as if he knew what he should do, Sungyeol took the microphone and leant in. 

 

_**I am thou, thou art I...** _

_**I am the guide of children lost** _

_**Forever a childish flower** _

_**Forsaking growth, thus becoming frozen in time** _

_**The playful spirit shalt be your guide henceforth** _

 

**"Persona!"** Sungyeol yelled, and in a burst of blue, the shadow was knocked away. The microphone exploded into blue flames, eating him up, but he didn't feel scared and instead letting it happen. 

The blue flames consumed his clothes, leaving behind a different outfit in its trail. His hastily chosen clothes were now changed into a dark spotted sleeveless vest, a short-sleeved black T-shirt, and black pants. He felt a necklace clinging in front of his chest, a wristband encircled itself on both his wrists. 

The flames didn't stop, it gathered en masse behind him, shaping itself into a giant figure with clothes made out of leaves and small hat. It let out a loud noise, which Sungyeol thought to be its giggle. Well then, since it was so much fun for it, Sungyeol allowed it to have its fill. 

"Let's play, Peter Pan!"

 

* * *

 

Myungsoo didn't know what to say when he finally found Sungyeol–disheveled, with different outfit than Myungsoo had last seen him, holding a puppy in his arms, and in the middle of a battle between a shadow and, presumably,  _his very own Persona_. In fact, he didn't say anything as he summoned Gangnim, commanding his Persona to aid the new Persona. When the shadow was fully distracted, he ran to grab Sungyeol's arm, "Let's go!" He said as they started to run the instant the Personas finished the shadow. 

Some more shadows appeared in front of them, trying to hold them from escaping. Myungsoo swung his hand forward, "Gangnim, Bufu!" 

Gangnim appeared in an instant, slashing the air with his scythe as a motion to cast the ice spell. Ice grew on the shadows' bodies, stunning them in place. Myungsoo and Sungyeol could feel the coldness from the ice as they passed the shadows, and Gangnim dealt the finishing blow when they were a safe distance away. 

Panting hard, they arrived at the mirror room. Sungyeol immediately sat on the floor, letting his arms fell. The puppy jumped to the ground, yipping and barking as it circled them. Myungsoo himself bowed, palms on both knees, catching up with his breath. 

"I'm sorry–" Surprisingly, Sungyeol was the first one to break the silence, "I'm sorry for sneaking off on my own."

Myungsoo responded by a nod, feeling too exhausted to even get angry. "Don't ever do that again. This is a command." He was amazed at himself to find the energy to be stern. Sungyeol nodded, eyes cast low. At least he was aware of his guilt. Myungsoo had faith that Sungyeol would not repeat what he had done,  if he was smart and loved his life. 

"I planned to come down here because I had a hunch that the murder is connected to that place," Sungyeol explained when he had stopped panting considerably. "But the moment we went outside, when I heard this kid's barking.. I was relieved to know she was still alive, and I wanted to go look for her. I should've told you so we could look together."

"Why did you think that the murder is connected to the place?" Myungsoo asked curiously. He definitely thought the world was weird, but didn't connect it to the murder.

"Just..." Sungyeol shrugged his shoulders, "I just felt like it's connected. The murder happened right after we went to the mirror world, so.."

Something made Myungsoo felt like Sungyeol was on track with his theory. Maybe there was a reason they could go to the 'mirror world'. Maybe there was a reason he acquired a Persona. Maybe this was the 'journey', the 'performance' that Igor and Agatha mentioned. If so, then maybe, he could do something.

The puppy approached Myungsoo and he knelt to pet her. Her fur was pure white. It's a wonder it was still untainted, despite the amount of running the dog must had done before they took her. Sungyeol smiled when the dog licked Myungsoo's hand, already acting friendly and familiar. "What should we do about her?" Sungyeol asked, cooing to grab her attention.

"I could keep it." Myungsoo offered. His heart warmed at seeing the white puppy playing with Sungyeol's vest.

"Oh, you will? That takes some burden off my shoulders." Sungyeol picked up the puppy, nudging her nose with his, "You hear that? You'll get out of here!"

"That being said.. I'm surprised that you got a Persona too, hyung." 

Sungyeol paused for the slightest bit, before setting the puppy down and petting her gently. "It's weird. I can't remember how it happened, but I swear I hear a voice inside my head, telling me to channel my power. I don't even know I have a power!" He described frantically.

Myungsoo hummed, "It's the same for me. I guess it happened to you if you have a potential to summon a Persona." He then offered his hand towards Sungyeol, "Let's go back, hyung."

Sungyeol took his hand and used it as a leverage to stand up. This time, when they walked into the mirror, the dog kept quiet and fell asleep in Sungyeol's arm.

 

* * *

 

**(Afternoon.)**

Myungsoo was able to finally finish his breakfast–that, plus another plate for lunch. Fighting in the mirror world really took a lot of energy, and he felt like he could sleep for ten hours. He glanced at Sungyeol, who passed out on the table. Awakening your Persona was even more exhausting than fighting the shadows. He could understand how tired Sungyeol felt, having experienced the same for himself. 

He then turned his attention towards the small, white puppy they brought from the mirror world. He made a mental note to buy dog necessities as soon as possible. The pup was still young, maybe three months in age. Thankfully she seemed like already trained, at least for potty training. Myungsoo and Sungyeol had agreed to call her 'Dubu', because her white fur resembled that of a tofu. She didn't protest against it, but then again he couldn't understand dog talk.

Sungyeol stirred awake from his sleep, rubbing his eyes slowly. He took a look around, maybe to assess where he was. Then he looked at Myungsoo and his eyes widen.

"It wasn't a dream!" 

Myungsoo shook his head, fond. "No, you really got your Persona, and we brought Dubu from the mirror world." He said.

"That... Wow." Sungyeol blinked his drowsiness away, though exhaust still apparent on his face. 

"You should take rest for a little more. I slept like a log for eleven hours last night. Summoning your Persona for the first time really drains your energy." Myungsoo stated.

"How the hell do you know all of this when you only got the power yesterday?" Sungyeol murmured, eyelids already halfway dropped.

Myungsoo made a point of not answering; Sungyeol hadn't mentioned anything about Velvet Room. 

He called Dubu over to feed it pieces of carrot and few spoons of peanut butter Moonsoo had bought him the first time he moved in. She ate it happily and yipping every now and then, purring when Myungsoo brushed her ears.

"This power is mysterious." Sungyeol said quietly, "It's like.. We have to explore the mirror world, using our powers. Back then, in there, right after I summoned my Persona, I felt like.. I belong in that world. I felt like there's an answer there.." He mumbled, just enough for Myungsoo to hear clearly.

"I know." Myungsoo agreed, "Let's find out the answer."

Sungyeol smiled slightly and nodded, eyes fully closed as his breath slowed, falling into another sleep.

Myungsoo felt something warm flowing in inside him; whether it was Sungyeol's trust and friendship or something else, it was faint that he almost missed it had he not paid attention. He closed his eyes, taking in the warm sensation. His heart felt a tad bit lighter, and also stronger. Perhaps, this was what Igor mentioned as a bond?

He set Dubu on the table, letting it play a bit with Sungyeol's hair. The older man was so deep in sleep and exhausted he didn't even wake up. Eventually, Dubu got bored of it and lay down on the crevice between Sungyeol's arm and head, and fell asleep. Myungsoo watched it amusedly. He took out his phone to take a couple of pictures of Dubu, sending it to Moonsoo as a way of bragging. 

Moonsoo was quick to reply, asking him questions about the puppy and where did he get it and whether if Moonsoo could come and take some pictures or so for his project and a bunch of other stuffs. Myungsoo simply replied by saying he was about to go out anyway, so they should meet up by the shopping district. 

Myungsoo stood up, grabbing a paper and a pen to write a note for Sungyeol should he woke up when he was gone, telling him that he was out to buy ingredients for dinner and also shop for Dubu. He put the paper on the table but thought better of it–Dubu could tear or chew on it. So he moved it on the fridge, safely pinned with a magnet pin. After that, he changed his clothes and grabbed his wallet.

With soft click from the front door, he left the house.

 

* * *

 

_**I am thou, thou art I** _

_**Thou hast initiated a new bond** _

_**It shall be thy guide on thy grand stage** _

_**In the wake of the rise of the Magician Arcana,** _

_**thou shalt gain more power when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "In tarot readings, the Magician Arcana is commonly associated with action, initiative, self-confidence, immaturity, manipulation and power (more specifically, the power to harness one's talents)." - Megami Tensei Wikia  
> so there it is!  
> Sungyeol got his own Persona, and he's the Magician Social Link. It was rather easy for me to decide who's his Persona going to be. The hardest one to decide was actually Myungsoo's Persona. 
> 
> Well, see you guys on the next chapter!


	4. chapter 03: first invasion / 퍼스트 인베이전

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunggyu finds his shadow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes...... i've been screaming over my undergrad thesis

Chapter 03: first invasion / 퍼스트 인베이전

 

* * *

 

**(Sunday, 4/15 20xx. Evening.)**

Grocery had been fun, Myungsoo wasn't expecting that. 

Apparently it wasn't the first big storm to hit the town. Few hundred years ago, a storm of the same strength had hit the town and incapacitated it. 

As a result, they started to be as self-sufficient as possible. Dairy products came from a local farm, so were vegetables and few fruits. Fish were kept in the lake and river flowing in the town. The town had public facilities such as park, shopping district, hospital, town hall, and the likes. They even had schools–preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school. Most of the students and the school staffs came from the town, so even after the bridge collapsed, school year continued as usual. 

"Hyung, if you don't hurry, Sungyeol-ssi will yell at you again." Moonsoo called from few steps ahead, holding so much groceries. 

Myungsoo hummed in response, still in awe seeing the stores in the shopping district. Different from a traditional marketplace, it was built like a one-story mall with small shops lining up from one end to the next, only branching out from few junctions. It had a roof which covered the entire district. The stores ranged from greengrocer, fishmonger, a cafe, and so much more. He was sure there was a toy store and–wow, was that a blacksmith? 

Myungsoo stopped in his tracks. He stared at a blue door, seemingly floating with blue mist emanating from it. The door just stood there, in front of the small alleyway next to the flower shop, on its own without any structure holding it. A blue butterfly had its way flying pass the door. 

He glanced at the people nearby; albeit it was already night, people still came to shop. None of them seemed to have noticed the blue door, as if either a blue door out of nowhere was normal, or that they couldn't see it. Myungsoo stared at his phone, deciding whether to forsake Sungyeol for a little bit more or not. 

"Dear guest," Agatha's voice came and–where did she come from? She was suddenly standing next to the door, holding open her huge book. "Have you decided to visit Master?"

He considered for a second before nodding, stepping inside the door after Agatha let him unlock the door with his Velvet Key.

 

* * *

 

In a second, he was back sitting on the audience seat in the Velvet Room. Agatha was back next to Igor, her book was still held open. Igor regarded him with a huge grin seemingly never erased from his face, "There you are. Welcome to the Velvet Room." He said, eager. "I see that the calamity blocking you on your journey had finally presented itself, claiming a soul. However, you have the power to fight against it. Allow me to finally explain my role in aiding you."

Agatha walked a few steps back as Igor started explaining, "As you are already aware, you are the holder of the Wild Card, an ability that allows you to acquire and summon multiple Personas. My way of helping you is by allowing you access to other Personas; by Fusing them together to create a new, stronger Persona. As you battled, you will notice the lingering voices of the enemies. That is their essence, their inner voices, and you could take hold of them and attain new Personas. When you have more Personas, you are welcome to come to me and I will Fuse them accordingly."

Igor then nodded at Agatha, and she walked forward and showed Myungsoo her book. It had the word ' _Le Grimoire_ ' on its cover. "Allow me to explain my role," Agatha said, "I hold the Persona Compendium, where it will register your newly acquired Personas. After being registered, you may recall them whenever you wish. You are most welcome to see me when you wish to use it."

"I see that you have established a new bond. Very good, very good." Igor chuckled, "Please remember what I have informed you about the importance of establishing new bonds in your journey. Incidentally, as your Social Links grow and develop, the Personas you fuse of the same arcana also will gain even more power. Thus, forming new bonds is just important as strengthening your Personas."

Agatha then clasped her hands with a bright face, as if she just recalled something. "Wild Card, I see you've found that child!" Agatha said, beaming.

"That child?" Myungsoo blinked.

Agatha nodded, "Yes, the little one. She's one of the children who can guide you, in place of my Master. You see, my Master is still regaining his strength from an ordeal he faced before we met you. So in order to help you navigate the mirror world, he granted you those children."

Agatha snapped her fingers, and the curtains behind them raised, showing a picture of Dubu. "Do heed her voice, because she is your guide. She will show you the way, shall you ask her to. However, I'm afraid her power is quite weak on her own. So, you'll have to find the other children to so they could perform excellently."

There was a voice of a microphone feedback which alarmed Myungsoo. Igor and Agatha, however, didn't seem surprised. "It is such a delight to officially mark the start of your journey." Igor remarked, "I can't wait until your next visit."

Agatha did her claps and as usual, the lights turned off one by one. 

"Until your next performance."

 

* * *

 

Myungsoo blinked, finding himself to be standing in front of the blue door at the shopping district. He looked around, catching a stare from a man standing in the flower shop. He had an apron on, so he must be one of the workers there. The man eyed him suspiciously, as if he was a strange person. Then again, it must had looked like he was zoning out in front of a now dark alleyway. Myungsoo gave the man a sheepish smile before walking to the street, where Moonsoo was standing with a frown on his face. 

"Are you done zoning out?" Moonsoo asked, clearly irritated.

"Sorry." Myungsoo simply said, not sure how to elaborate on the reason he zoned out.

"Well, whatever. It's not like we're in a rush or anything." Moonsoo sighed.

They started walking side by side, both holding their own share of the groceries. The distance between the shopping district and Myungsoo's house wasn't too far, but it was still a long walk. The night air was warmer compared to that of the night in the mirror world. There were voices of night critters, those of which Myungsoo had never heard before in the city he lived in. It said something about this town.

"I'm surprised you want to hang out with Sungyeol-ssi." Moonsoo commented, breaking their silence.

"He's the one who approached me." Myungsoo replied, "Although, it's fun to hang out with him." Outside the mirror world, that is.

"You weren't the type to mingle, though." Moonsoo then smiled, "I'm glad you started to."

"I do socialize." 

"Uh-huh. Says the absolute solo idol Kim Myungsoo."

"Stop it." Myungsoo muttered, "I was having fun not being reminded of my job for three days."

Moonsoo grinned sheepishly, before his face suddenly turned serious. "Did you hear about the murder?" He asked, voice low.

"Sungyeol-hyung told me this morning." Myungsoo answered, eyes looking straight at the street. It was the same street he fought the shadows. If he blink fast enough, he could still see Gangnim, hovering in the air of the street.

"I hope they found the murderer quickly. It's a nightmare to live trapped with a killer, even if we're trapped in a town." 

Myungsoo nodded in agreement, but somehow he felt like it was up to him to find the killer.

 

* * *

 

Sungyeol had chewed Myungsoo out once he returned home. It was mostly his fault for leaving a starving Lee Sungyeol (and Dubu) alone for more than four hours. He forgot how hungry he was when he woke up after he summoned Gangnim. To make it up, he bought lots of food and essentially held a feast in his house. Dubu even got a special, expensive treat. 

He let Moonsoo play with Dubu a bit, taking a few photos of her. Sungyeol gave comments about which angle was the best to take Dubu's pictures now and then, all while devouring the offerings Myungsoo bought him as an apology. Myungsoo himself leaned back on his chair, watching they play with a smile. Putting aside the whole mirror world adventure, it felt quite like a paid vacation. His boss couldn't fire him even if he's trapped in the town for the whole year, and it felt like a small victory. 

As the night progressed, Sungyeol and Moonsoo excused themselves to go back to their own places. Myungsoo offered Moonsoo to stay, but he politely declined, saying that his friends had planned to develop new photos together. So, after seeing them off and locking the front door and making sure all the windows were closed and locked, Myungsoo laid on his bed with Dubu on his side, falling quickly into a deep sleep.

 

* * *

 

**(Monday, 4/16 20xx. Morning.)**

Upon waking up with excited Dubu pulling on his hair, Myungsoo decided to have a breakfast outside so he could walk Dubu. She definitely wasn't complaining when Myungsoo gave her a collar and put a leash. He let her wait a bit because he needed to wash up first. 

Checking on his appearance in the mirror after brushing his teeth and washing his face, Myungsoo put on his jacket. It's already spring, but he still shiver whenever he didn't dress warmly. 

"Dubu, let's go outside for a walk." He called out, smiling when she immediately yipped excitedly and ran towards him. He grabbed the leash and opened the door, Dubu already jumping with anticipation. 

It was almost a week that he had been in the town but he still couldn't quite remember the town layout except the area near his house. With that in mind, he would like to take a long walk to find the town park. Sungyeol had mentioned it once to him about it. Apparently there was a nice place to eat nearby, where Sungyeol and Sunggyu would have dinner after work. Plus, Dubu could run around in the park. 

Just as he passed the park to approach the kindergarten (and maybe greet Sungyeol), someone grabbed his arms and pushed him to the gate wall of the park, along with a faint waft of flowery body perfume filling his nostrils. He winced, letting go of Dubu's leash. Thankfully, she didn't run away and instead growled at the person who pushed him. He struggled before coming to realization that the person was, actually, Kim Sunggyu. Kim Sunggyu, who looked so pissed and–wow, he wasn't expecting to see such an intimidating glare from someone with eyes so small. 

"Kim Myungsoo, you have to explain what's happening." Sunggyu spat, anger in his voice. 

"Wh–what do you mean, Sunggyu-ssi?" Myungsoo said, cold sweat breaking on his forehead. No way that Sunggyu found out about the mirror world, right? Sungyeol literally told Myungsoo to keep sush about it. 

"Don't pretend, you ass." Sunggyu pushed him again, applying pressure into Myungsoo's collar he held, "I don't even know how you did it, but it's already going too far! Don't accuse me of stuff you barely even know! Was Sungyeol the one who told you?"

"I honestly haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about!" Myungsoo tried to break free from Sunggyu's hold.

"Then how come I–" Sunggyu paused, looking down at Dubu who somehow had climbed his pants. Sunggyu shrieked, immediately taking a step back from Dubu, and effectively letting go of Myungsoo. 

"I think this is a big misunderstanding." Myungsoo said, picking up Dubu who now was barking lightly, "Can you explain what happened? I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything to you, I've been busy cleaning up the house." Among other things about killing shadows, but Myungsoo wasn't going to talk about it.

Sunggyu kept his glare, but with less hostility. He then sighed, clearly upset that Myungsoo wasn't going to talk about whatever issue was bothering him. With a last glare, he said to Myungsoo, "I swear if you don't stop, I'll have to throw you out from that house. You're on a thin ice, Kim Myungsoo." He warned before walking away.

"Where are you going?" Myungsoo asked, still confused.

"Work. I'll have to confront Sungyeol about this later." Sunggyu said without looking back.

Myungsoo watched as Sunggyu stomped towards the kindergarten. He definitely didn't know what was up with Sunggyu, but he'd rather avoid his wrath by not coming into the kindergarten. He mentally prayed for Sungyeol's safety and took Dubu to the opposite direction, towards the entrance gate of the park.

 

* * *

 

**(Afternoon.)**

After literally hours of letting Dubu ran around the park to her heart's content, and a hearty lunch at the restaurant near the park, Myungsoo decided it's time to come home. He had finished reading his book, and Dubu was already up from a short nap after a long time of playing. He whistled when he realized how long he had spent there. Park during spring was the best. And this park particularly won his heart for its comfortable atmosphere.

Dubu wagged her tail when Myungsoo stood up, "Let's go home, Dubu." He said, to which Dubu replied by a happy-sounding bark.

He walked the entire way back, pointing out random buildings to Dubu as a way to memorize it himself. Sometimes, a local townspeople would greet him, to which he greeted back with a smile and a bow. It was a refreshing change–back in Seoul he probably couldn't even walk without a disguise. Another point for Geoul, he guessed.

Dubu, who had been a good girl and kept quiet, suddenly seemed agitated and anxious. She growled and barked continuously while he kept trying to calm her to no avail. A girl who was walking to the opposite direction towards them looked curious as to what happened. She approached him, "Is something the matter?" She asked, a kind smile decorating her lips. 

"I'm not sure.. She's suddenly started barking." Myungsoo explained, "Dubu, what's wrong?"

The girl laughed, "Her name is Dubu? That's so cute!" She then eyed him, "Are you one of visiting guests? You don't look familiar."

"Yes, I came here a week ago for the funeral." Myungsoo answered. 

"Ah, I see.." She nodded, "Ah, sorry, I have to excuse myself. My friend will be mad if I kept her waiting for too long. I guess I will see you around." She said with a slight smile. After she waved her hand, she walked away.

Dubu still barked ferociously, even trying to chase after the girl. But after she walked a safe distance away, she calmed down and instead whined at Myungsoo. "Don't give me that, Dubu. I don't understand what's wrong." Myungsoo said, sighing. 

It looked like Myungsoo couldn't understand her, so Dubu only whined once more before tugging the leash towards the way home. "Yeah, I agree. Let's go home. No more sudden barks again this time, alright?" Myungsoo said. 

Dubu barked; if she was a human, she'd roll her eyes. Myungsoo chuckled when he imagined just that. 

 

* * *

 

Just before they reached home, few blocks away, Myungsoo's phone chimed off. He fished it out from his pocket, pausing to walk. Dubu took the chance to take a rest and yawned, sitting on the road. 

A chat from Sungyeol. He opened the chat app and read at the text Sungyeol sent him. 

> **SUNGYEOL** : are you free after this?
> 
> **MYUNGSOO** : I am heading home from the park right now. 
> 
> **MYUNGSOO** : What's wrong? 
> 
> **SUNGYEO** L: sunggyu-hyung almost killed me this morning
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : i was scared shitless, he's so scary when angry
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : i dont even know what i did to him
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : he said something about you too
> 
> **MYUNGSOO** : We met earlier when he was heading to work. He also got angry at me. 
> 
> **MYUNGSOO** : Did he say anything about what made him angry at us? 
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : well he said something about us accusing him of stuffs that is not true?
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : anyway, i heard very strange rumors about the girl who recently died. apparently, people are seeing her all over the town as if she's still alive!! that's super creepy
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : but that's not the only thing that's weird!!! 
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : ok so in the kindergarten, there's this really cool mirror, right? apparently it's an antiques belonged to the original owner
> 
> **MYUNGSOO** : Yes? 
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : so i was going back to my classroom and i happened to see sunggyu-hyung walking past by the mirror
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : AND HE HAS NO REFLECTION!!! ON THE MIRROR!! 
> 
> **MYUNGSOO** : Are you sure? 
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : I AM!! i even checked in the mirror myself! i have a reflection! but when hyung walked past it again, NO REFLECTION!! 
> 
> **MYUNGSOO** : I see. That's strange. 
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : that's why i think it has something to do with the mirror world. we need to meet up asap and discuss
> 
> **MYUNGSOO** : Alright. Come by when you're finished with your work. 
> 
> **SUNGYEOL** : ok! i'll buy dinner too! see you

Myungsoo sighed as he put his phone in his pocket. 

He really had a bad feeling about this. 

 

* * *

 

He woke up in a basement-like building, with only dim lights showing the many many pillars around him, like an underground parking lot. Far from his sight was darkness, enclosing the place. He didn't feel scared, only wary. 

There were whispers, murmurs. He recognized those as the same voices he heard everyday;

_"You're so dependable. I hope you get to be our–"_

_"Please help us with–!"_

_"–attend the meeting, since you're our future–"_

_"–you do about the bridge?"_

_"Oh, about the guests–"_

_"–lack of place to stay–"_

_"–food and–"_

_"–definitely will be the mayor–"_

He shut his eyes tight, trying to ignore the voices around him. It was just his imagination. He needed to focus, to find out what had happened and where he was at the moment. He could only remember being in his room, exhausted from work, and–

There was someone else. He turned, panic rising in his chest. That someone was definitely running towards him, he could hear the steps. 

Without understanding what happened, he ran. He ran towards one side of the darkness, hoping that there would be a door to exit through. The other person was clearly chasing after him, their footsteps sounded so close, as if they were right behind him. Bile rose to his throat as he tried to catch up his breath, picking up his speed. 

It was an endless chase. He could had been running for at least an hour, without ever reaching the end of the room. He could feel his legs shaking, breaths short, as his head was dizzy from so much running. He couldn't take it anymore–he knew it's dangerous to stop. 

But, he decided to stop. The steps also ceased to small walk. 

He dared to look behind, slowly, still so high strung from the chase, ready to break into another run should the person attacked him. When he turned around completely, on the spot where he though he had seen _himself_ , instead stood a tall mirror. Still trying to control his breath, he approached the mirror slowly. 

He could see his reflection there, obviously. But there was something wrong. His reflection had a pair of golden eyes, staring sharply at him, piercing through his soul. His expression, however, remained blank, without tiredness and shortness of breath. Compared to when he saw Myungsoo's and Sungyeol's reflections on every mirrors he passed by, his reflections didn't emit malevolence. It was just there, a neutral standing. 

"You have no idea how to help the townspeople." His reflection said.

He didn't even feel surprised anymore, from countless confrontation he had with Myungsoo's and Sungyeol's reflection. 

"You can't help the town, and you're guilty because you can't help them. You want to abandon it all and be free. That's not wrong. But you don't want to admit it." His reflection noted. His reflection said those words differently from Myungsoo's and Sungyeol's reflections. While their words held malice accusations in it as if holding him guilty of his thoughts, his reflection's words only held a level tone, not accusing him, but only pointing out the ugly feelings he had buried deep inside. 

"That's not how I feel." He managed, stubborn. "It's wrong. I don't want to run from my duty, even if I can't do it. Father already has too much in his hands If I can't even help him as his son–"

"You're not me, Kim Sunggyu." His reflection cut his words calmly. 

Sunggyu looked up, devastated. Even more so when his reflection started to turn around and walk away from him. He was left alone in the dark basement. 

 

* * *

 

**(Evening.)**

Sungyeol came with the promised dinner just as the sky turned dark. He gave Myungsoo an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I had to finish some errands for work." He explained. 

Myungsoo shook his head, "It's alright. Although, that means we have to go when it's daytime over there."

Sungyeol winced, imagining the impending heat about to torment their skins. He cleared his throat, "Let's hold a meeting while having dinner, okay? I want to avoid thinking about how hot it could be."

Myungsoo let Dubu have another snack because she just had dinner before Sungyeol arrived while they ate their dinner at the table, Sungyeol sitting next to him. "Have you tried to contact Sunggyu-ssi?" Myungsoo asked, picking up kimchi with his chopsticks. 

"Oh, you're right. Let me call him." Sungyeol took out his phone to call Sunggyu, but after a few minutes, Sunggyu didn't pick up the call. If they weren't worried before, they were definitely worried now. 

"Maybe he was sleeping? Ah, but he usually didn't sleep until eleven.." Sungyeol winced, slowly losing his appetite. 

"We really should check in the mirror world, huh.." Myungsoo commented. "Then, about the rumors about the girl.."

"It's so scary!" Sungyeol yelled, "Everybody I know said that they see her walking around the town and stuff! There's even one rumor that if you meet her, you'll have the same fate of dying mysteriously. Then, another rumor about Raewook-ssi's death was also because she was murdered.."

Myungsoo frowned. True, Raewook's cause of death was still unknown to him. Only a handful of people, including her family, knew about how she died. If it was indeed the work of the same culprit, then it meant they had a serial killer, out for blood in the town. 

"How did she look?" Myungsoo asked. He had a bad feeling. 

"Who? Daeun-ssi?" Sungyeol replied, to which Myungsoo answered by a nod. Apparently, the high school girl's name was Daeun. 

Sungyeol again fished out his phone to look up for something before showing it to Myungsoo, "It's a photo from a year ago from the high school event. She's the one with short hair."

Myungsoo could feel his stomach dropped as his fear was confirmed when he recognized her face as the same girl he met earlier that day. "I... Met her today." He said, numb. Now the reason why Dubu acted like she did was clear. 

Sungyeol blinked before panicking, "What!? You met her–Myungsoo, how!?"

"I don't know, hyung. I thought she was normal girl, but Dubu did act hostile towards her." Myungsoo rubbed his forehead, "What is going on.."

"That should be me asking.." Sungyeol sighed, "Does her case also have something to do with the mirror world?"

"Only one way to find out." Myungsoo murmured, "Let's go down to the mirror."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk when will i be able to write the next chapter bcs im going to be busy with college stuffs orz  
> apologize in advance
> 
> do you guys know how hard it is to decide on which outfit the guys should be in for the mirror world exploration? because i basically had to watch all the MVs and cross-referenced to each person and sometimes i have to decide which outfit would look better, the one in this MV or that MV (i especially have a grudge towards Hoya and Woohyun for, well, looking good in terms of 'outfit you would wear to a battle'). i originally had planned for Woohyun to wear the outfit in Back MV (the hoodie one) while Sungjong wears the outfit in Last Romeo MV (the black one). but then.... considering Woohyun's persona....

**Author's Note:**

> Persona doesn't belong to me, it is a game developed by Atlus. I merely borrow the concept. Infinite also doesn't belong to me, they're real people working under Woollim Entertainment. This story is fictional and therefore anything happens here is mostly fictional.  
> Another thing I would like to say: I am aware of Hoya's decision to leave the group in 2017 and I fully support him to do what he wants to do. However, I will still write him in this story just as he's still Infinite member.   
> Before anything else, I would like to apologize if there's things I got wrong, just like OOC, unaccurate facts, or something else. This is an Alternate Reality, but I'd like to stick to few facts from reality (i.e. Dongwoo is the most scaredy-cat).


End file.
